Holidays 2012 Recap

Greatest family portrait ever? Possibly.

Photo by Anderson
(with the DSLR, way to go!)

Busy Busy Busy! As usual the holidays were fun, exciting and just plain old busy.  We hosted Christmas Eve dinner as well as Christmas dinner - a different part of Bri's family each day.  We love to host and honestly it's much easier on the kids, they can stay somewhat on schedule and can go to bed if/when they need.

Two seats!

Making cookies

Anderson only asked Santa for 1 thing (since about June); he wanted a "motorcycle with two seats", sometimes referred to only as 'two seats".  Since we speak Anderson we understand this to be a power wheel (not a car though, more like a dune buggy).  A boy at our park has one and gives Anderson rides.  He loves it and wanted to own and drive one.  He asked Santa in the mall, he asked Santa in school on his letter, he asked mom to tell Santa.  Well, seems like Santa heard and delivered.  He also got some other (not as cool) things - Spiderman undies, art supplies and dinosaurs.  His grandparents spoiled him and his sister with many things.  Waverly got her first dolly care of Anderson. He told us what he wanted to get her and picked it out all by himself.  

On our way to the N.Bay

School was closed for winter break for two weeks and dad had the week between Christmas and New Years off from work.  We took advantage of it by hanging out at the park, seeing some friends in the North Bay, and heading to the snow.  For snow you can go North East to Tahoe or straight east towards Yosemite.  We chose the latter this time.  It was a long drive, compounded by the fact we had to stop and put the chains on (yeah mom was on the ground getting dirty too) and then got stuck behind a truck doing no more than 15 miles per hour. However, it was all worth it in the end.  Anderson had a blast (so did mom & dad), Waverly looked like she had fun sitting in the snow watching her brother.

So that's it. A busy but very exciting and rewarding family time together to wrap up an amazing year.  I've started the 365 photo project for Waverly, same as I did for Anderson in his first calendar year.  We eventually turned his photo project into a book and it's great. I can't wait to do the same for her. 

Family Snow Day!

As for me, I'm still home enjoying the kiddos.  California might be the best state for maternity leave, compound that with my employer offers a generous leave + I had accrued almost 7 weeks PTO prior to leave and now they offer a sabbatical. I've been there 7 years, so I get 7 weeks.  I return to work at the end of Feb (with what will surely be a very heavy heart & quite possible tears this time), but am so very very grateful for all of the time I have been allowed to spend with the kids.  It's not only the time I've been with Wave, but what I've been able to do with A, in his classroom, after school and on days off.